Chapter 726 Young Master Shen, how about it?
Crown Prince!
These two words were like a thunderbolt descending from the sky, instantly stunning everyone present. Even some of the common people near the Vermilion Bird Gate heard them, and they were all terrified, almost collapsing to the ground!
Your Highness, the Emperor has appointed the Prince of Han as Crown Prince!
This newly established Great Sheng Dynasty has finally welcomed its first crown prince!
While everyone was still reeling from the shock, and even Yuwen Qian himself was wide-eyed and unable to react, Yu Mingyue was the first to come to her senses.
Overjoyed, she immediately bowed and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
As soon as she spoke, everyone around her realized what was going on.
So everyone knelt down and kowtowed in succession, along with the common people behind them. Some heard a few words, some only saw the silence in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate, and many more didn't even know what had happened, let alone what they, as ants under the feet of that high and mighty figure, would experience. They just followed suit and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
In an instant, the sound shook the heavens.
After almost numbly following the crowd in uttering those words, Shang Ruyi's head was still lowered, her heart was pounding, and her head was buzzing. She was so heavy that she could hardly lift her head. She could only look at her two hands supporting her on the ground, her whole body was cold, and her fingertips were white from struggling.
She couldn't even hear what Eunuch Yu said next, nor could she hear what the people around her were saying.
After an unknown amount of time, a steady, warm hand reached out, grasped her slender arm, and helped her up from the ground. Shang Ruyi barely came to her senses, and when she looked up, she met Yuwen Ye's calm and cold eyes.
Sensing that she still felt somewhat weak, he asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi's throat tightened, and she managed to say, "No, it's nothing."
As she spoke, she grabbed Yuwen Ye's arm and stood up, but her legs were still weak and trembling. Yuwen Ye supported her until she took a deep breath and finally calmed down, then he let go. When Shang Ruyi looked at him again, although there were still wrinkles between her brows, her eyes had calmed down.
She said, "We—"
Yuwen Ye said, "It's alright."
Shen Wuzheng stood aside, looking at them with a solemn expression, and then looked at Yuwen Qian, who had also stood up and was receiving congratulations from Eunuch Yu and the surrounding generals.
He is already the crown prince.
This was an outcome they had long anticipated. If Yuwen Yuan might have hesitated between his two sons before, the fact that Yuwen Ye had used Empress Dowager Jiang to set him up had angered the new emperor. Yuwen Yuan was clearly not someone who could be easily threatened or coerced, and he also understood that his son was too capable. If he did not suppress him, he would have little power to control him in the future.
Therefore, he didn't even wait for them to enter the palace before attending court.
The investiture was carried out outside the gates of the Vermilion Bird Gate, which avoided all the trouble. No matter how prepared Yuwen Ye was, he could not say or do anything at this time. Everything was already set in stone.
Of course, this is the current situation.
After exchanging a few more quiet words with Shang Ruyi, and both of them having completely calmed down, Yuwen Ye raised his head and led her to Yuwen Qian's side. Just then, several officials who had come to offer their congratulations stepped aside. As if sensing something, Yuwen Qian turned around and met his second brother's solemn and cold eyes.
Yuwen Ye bowed to him and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, and congratulations, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Yuwen Qian glanced at him, then at Shang Ruyi beside him who was bowing and congratulating him. His eyes flickered as if he was considering how to speak, but after only a moment of thought, he said, "Second brother, no matter what happens in the future, I hope we can still be as united as we were in this battle."
At this point, most people would probably think about how to offer some comfort.
Or, completely break ties and speak coldly to this brother who once tricked him but ultimately could only suffer in silence.
However, Yuwen Qian did not do that. He clearly did not intend to really break ties with Yuwen Ye and become his complete enemy. He also understood that comforting him at this time would not only be useless, but would also hurt him more. Therefore, he simply said neat and polite words that could not be found fault with and left no room for Yuwen Ye to make his own choice as friend or foe.
As expected, Yuwen Ye also fell silent for a moment, looking at him with a slightly flickering gaze.
After a long pause, he said, "Of course."
Although he remained calm, he clearly sensed that the atmosphere around him had changed as he spoke those words.
Previously in the Taiji Hall, he and Yuwen Qian were each surrounded by a group of officials, clearly separated. Although his entourage was smaller than Yuwen Qian's, they were still roughly equal in strength. But now, after speaking with Yuwen Qian, when he looked around, the eyes of those officials who had previously surrounded him had changed. Some didn't even approach, while others had already walked up to Yuwen Qian and begun to utter flattering words.
For a time, one side was bustling with activity, while the other was eerily quiet.
They are also clearly distinct.
"These people are going too far."
Just as Yuwen Ye coldly swept his gaze across the sycophantic, fawning faces, a clear voice rang in his ears. Looking down, he saw little Shan Tong'er pouting and looking at the people with displeasure.
Compared to the maturity and restraint of adults, he was obviously much more direct.
A large hand reached out and ruffled the child's bald head, causing Shan Tong'er to droop his head and stagger. When he looked up, he saw Shen Tu Tai, who said to Shan Tong'er, "It's good that you know, why did you have to say it?"
Shan Tong pouted, "Seventh Brother, aren't you angry?"
Although Shen Tu Tai didn't say it as openly as he did, nor did he hide the slight anger and disdain on his face, he was more composed and said, "I'm angry. But you have to use your energy in a useful way."
Shan Tong'er blinked and looked at him.
He was still young and simple-minded, unable to consider human nature and power struggles. He only instinctively felt indignant and complained to Shen Tu Tai, "But we also put in a lot of effort to attack Taiyuan." Little did he know that although this conferment was based on the merits of the Battle of Taiyuan, it actually had little to do with those merits.
Yuwen Yuan only wanted to confer an official title upon Yuwen Qian and use this incident to intimidate Yuwen Ye.
Because he is the emperor!
At this moment, a person emerged from the bustling crowd and slowly walked towards Yuwen Ye. It was Eunuch Yu. The joyful smile from when he offered his congratulations still lingered on his face. Facing Yuwen Ye again, he was neither embarrassed nor cold and distant like others. He simply bowed and said, "Your Highness, you have worked hard this time."
Yuwen Ye replied, "No."
Eunuch Yu said, "His Majesty has decreed that both Your Highnesses should go to the palace to rest for the time being. Later, His Majesty will host a banquet for his officials in the Hundred Blessings Hall to welcome the two Your Highnesses."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Don't we need to express our gratitude?"
Eunuch Yu smiled and said, "His Majesty still has official business to attend to today."
"I see,"
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "Then, I understand."
After speaking, he turned to the people around him and made some arrangements. Shen Tu Tai and Shan Tong'er naturally led their own people down, while the additional troops sent by the court were to be returned to the Ministry of War.
The only thing that needs to be rescheduled is—
Green Silk gracefully walked up to them, a half-smile on her face, and said, "I wonder how Your Highness, the Prince of Qin, intends to arrange things for this humble woman?"
Upon seeing her, Shang Ruyi immediately said, "We plan to—"
As she spoke, she turned to look at the crowd around her, and after a while, she gradually frowned.
What about Pei Xingyuan?
Putting aside the fact that she wanted to find him at this time, given Pei Xingyuan's personality, he should have jumped out at this moment, whether to tease Yuwen Ye a bit to help him relax, or to mutter complaints like Shan Tong'er. In short, he should have appeared.
However, he was nowhere to be seen in the crowd.
Even Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng were somewhat surprised. They both searched the surrounding crowd but couldn't find him. Listening to their conversation, someone nearby said in a deep voice, "Could it be that he knew the outcome of today's events, so Young Master Pei didn't even bother to come?"
Shang Ruyi frowned upon hearing this.
She was already quite familiar with Pei Xingyuan. Although he was usually a bit carefree, she knew very well that he was not like that at all. On the contrary, he was more loyal and righteous than the average person, but he just didn't want to express it in a serious way.
But why didn't he come?
But the most important thing right now isn't finding him. Shang Ruyi turned to look at Lüxiao, then after a moment's thought, she subconsciously looked at Shen Wuzheng and whispered, "Brother..."
Shen Wuzheng realized what he meant: "You want her to come back to my house?"
Shang Ruyi asked, "Is that alright?"
Before this, they had originally considered arranging for Lüxiao to stay temporarily at Pei Xingyuan's house. After all, he was a free spirit, and it wouldn't be surprising if he had an enchanting beauty by his side. As for Lüxiao's relationship with Xiao Yuansui and her experiences following Wang Shaoji these past few days, Yuwen Ye could explain it at a later time, so it wasn't a big deal.
Now that Pei Xingyuan hasn't come, looking at the people around, it's clear that roughnecks like Shen Tu Tai and Nie Chong are no good. Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao also have their own responsibilities, and given their temperaments, they probably wouldn't be able to handle a woman like Lü Xiao.
It seems that the only one they can entrust with this is Shen Wuzheng.
But would Shen Wuzheng be willing to do that?
Sure enough, upon hearing Shang Ruyi's words, Shen Wuzheng's brows furrowed slightly involuntarily. However, he did not immediately refuse. Instead, he turned to look at Lü Xiao, who was smiling at him. Even just standing still, her alluring aura captivated many men around her, their eyes glued to her like strings.
She tilted her head and smiled, saying, "Young Master Shen, what do you think?"
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